OSU wrestler pulls off the incredible
Jace Phillips - Contributing Writer
The stage was set for the main event match of the 2025 NCAA wrestling national championship finals held at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The match was a heavyweight bout for 1st between Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State and Gable Steveson of Minnesota.
Gable Steveson had a pile of accolades going into the finals match. Steveson is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist; two-time Dan Hodge trophy winner; a two-time Division l national champion; a four-time Ben Ten conference champion; and a five time All-American. He left the University of Minnesota to pursue a career in WWE. When he was released from the WWE, Steveson joined the NFL’s Buffalo Bills team but was released before the season. Steveson decided to head back to the University of Minnesota to use his last year of college eligibility after a year off. Going into the finals match against Hendrickson, he was undefeated this season and hadn’t been taken down all season long.
Wyatt Hendrickson wrestled in the Air Force for four years, compiling a record of 103-11 while being a two-time All-American and four-time Big 12 tournament place winner. Hendrickson also holds the rank of second lieutenant in the United States Airforce. Using his lastyear of eligibility due to COVID-19, Hendrickson took his fifth year and transferred to Oklahoma State University under new head coach, David Taylor. This year at Oklahoma State, Hendrickson was the Big 12 tournament champion, beating returning national champion Greg Kirkvliet of Penn State and advanced to the finals.
Walking onto the mat, Steveson looked to win his third national title and seal himself as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in history. Hendrickson walked out onto the mat with an American flag, acknowledging President Donald Trump at mat side.
When the match began, Hendrickson battled with Steveson to stay within striking distance. The match was 4-2 with thirty seconds to go in the match. Hendrickson shot a double leg take down underneath Steveson and drove around Steveson to get the 3-point takedown, giving him the lead. Hendrickson kept Steveson down for the remaining time and secured himself as national champion. Once Hendrickson won, he laid on the mat crying before he got up and saluted President Trump. On the Pat Mcafee Show, Hendrickson said: “As soon as I got that takedown I could feel everything in my body flex and the crowd erupt, but it wasn’t over yet. I had to keep him down for the longest thirty seconds of my life.”
New sources such as CNN and ESPN call the match a “stunning upset” and a “David and Goliath moment” in wrestling. When asked about the moment in a NCAA Championships interview, Hendrickson said, “All week I’ve been looking at David and Goliath and no one thought David could take down Goliath, but I did.”